From mid-June to September, the Vienna Insurance Group (VIG) headquarters in Vienna’s Ringturm building will be wrapped with a work entitled Together by Dóra Maurer, one of the best-known Hungarian artists of international contemporary art.
Dóra Maurer transforms the façade of the Ringturm into a giant-scale artwork, displaying a powerful message of hope after two years affected by the pandemic. The covering of the Ringturm is a priority cultural project of Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein, the main shareholder of VIG, the insurance company announced. As emphasized, after two years of absence, in the coming weeks the Ringturm will become an artistic symbol of cross-border dialogue and will express the importance of Hungary for the Vienna Insurance Group.
After László Fehér’s 2012 work, Dóra Maurer is the second Hungarian artist to be commissioned to transform the historic office building in Schottenring.
“Given the way the two years of the Covid19 pandemic and the war ordeals have shaped Europe, we want to send a clear message about the importance of solidarity and togetherness. Dóra Maurer, an internationally renowned artist of Hungarian and Austrian origin, whose work entitled Together is, in our opinion, a particularly fitting choice for this spirit,” the statement quotes Helene Kanta, member of the board of the Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein.
The 4,000 square metre artwork consists of a total of 30 printed mesh panels, each approximately 3 metres wide and 63 metres long. The diagonally intertwining stripes create a vibrant, cheerful spectrum of colours on the façade of the building at the Schottenring overlooking the Danube Canal in the centre of Vienna.
“My work intersects different shades of colour, referring to the diversity of Central Europe. This colourful composition is not only intended to add dynamism to the linear architecture of the Ringturm, but also to radiate colour from the building to the surrounding area. It is a visual stimulant at the Danube canal in summer, and also an anchor that sends a signal of hope beyond the borders of the country”, said Dóra Maurer about her work.
In addition to renowned Austrian artists such as Gottfried Helnwein and Arnulf Rainer, the Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein has since 2012 also invited artists from Central and Eastern Europe to artistically transform the Ringturm, according to the press release.
